Then it reminded me of Lincoln's second inaugural speech, “malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in, to bind up the nation's wounds.”

Trump in his speech said he was president of all Americans. He said the establishment served themselves and not the citizens. Which Senator Ted Cruz tagged 'Washington Cartel'. He defined the world as a zero sum economic and military situation. But the facts from history and our own 240 year history is that the world has never been and will never be a zero sum anything. He said that the establishment has had a one world view and that they will flattening out the landscape at the expense of America. Pres. Trump said this will not be the view in the future. In a non-zero sum world an improved world will result in all nations rise with a rising economy and all nation gain from stability. The world bank stated that the world will rise with an improved economy in America.

And finally I thought of the January 11, 1944 State of the Union Address of FDR's that included a 'Second Bill of Rights.' That is presented below. The founders would shriek upon reading the list below. Not that the list is not noble and that America should work to achieve all of them, but that it is a 'right' because to 'imposing them will sacrifice the 'rights' of another, the redistribution of wealth. The 2008 collapse of the housing bubble was the result of imposing the fifth right and Obamacare completes the sixth right. Where about half the people in polls object to paying higher cost to pay for the providing insurance to another.

Donna he is not an actor like Pres. Reagan that had decades to hone speaking to and for GE. Pres. D. J. Trump was not a circuit attorney for a decade and then politician as Pres. Lincoln. Even Pres. Obama honed his skills organizing a community that had to be convinces to work for no pay for their community. That was done in words be applied also as a politician. Trump talked to employees that receive a pay check. So he did not have to convince this audience.

Bill he has honed the ability to take decisive action and capitalism has made him efficient. That is how he thinks. He knows how to direct others and stress performance on them and reward success. Those are skills he honed for decades.

I like the speech and thought it was right on target. He spoke truth to what politicians have been covering up for years. And yes Donna the words need to be turned into action and no doubt like Obama he will soon find a brick wall to scale.

Of course, some of the commentators on CNN painted the speech as dark and negative. Maybe because soon they might be out of a job.

So because Trump says something it must be true? I disagree with the notion that the establishment served itself and not the citizens. For starters, who is the establishment and who isn’t? According, to Ted Cruz, Trump for being an elite billionaire who socialized with Hillary Clinton, was a member of the establishment. Of course I disagree with that assertion, but that doesn’t mean whoever Trump (or you) deems to be of the establishment is so. Second, whether one is in the “establishment” or not, their main interest could be the people and not himself or herself. Similarly, if one isn’t in the establishment, the main interest for entering politics could be to enrich himself or herself.

Ari - there is a HUGE difference between a privately wealthy individual and a "public servant" who somehow managed to increase his net worth from zero when he took office to tens of millions a few years later on a $300,000/yr salary (which gets soaked up by DC cost of living).

The best part of his speech was a direct shot across the bow to ALL politicians when he warned them that ALL TALK AND NO ACTION WILL NOT BE TOLERATED!!!! I am willing to wager that the first troublemakers to roll over will be the Democratic Congressmen who boycotted the Inaugural Ceremony.

Art S., Senator Mitch McConnell clearly made TV campaign ads that said he would repeal Obamacare and is a 'conservative'. Clearly all of his action as majority leader does not back this up. When you look at the campaign funds that he controlled it is clear that he did not provide funds for tea party conservatives that had a good chance of winning. And it is clear that he funded candidates running against them that said they were conservative but voted in lock step with McConnell.

Ari yes Ted said what you present, but Trump said Cruz's father met with the murder of Kennedy, Come-on. Pure spin. Campaign have brought out rumor and presented it as fact since Adams and Jefferson were candidates.

Mike good comments. Ted Cruz defined the Washington establishment as a cartel that does not serve the interest of the people. James Madison talks about the the creation of factions working together for a common end but having many different ends that that agree to move forward to achieve the common end. Thus the remaining representative form a minority that has no voice.

Americans finally began to wake up to the fact that Washington has been putting on a play for years. The Dems scream about big interests and the GOP screams about big government. But its really about looking after power money interests that want open markets but the backing and favor of big government. These two have been in cohoots for years with each party playing their part.

I am watching Pres. Donald John Trump enter the Freedom Ball. Thank you. I remember the amazing job Pres. Reagan did but it was lost during Pres. George H. Bush's only 4 year term. Two decade later another President that works for the people has entered the office. We should not have this time squandered. That however, was part of Pres. Trump's campaign agenda. He I am told has picked a conservative cabinet. Another good sign, they can enforce us, the people saying that we do not want to slip back. We need a Pres. Trump to follow the lead of the Governor Greg Abbot of Texas and then Governor now Vice Pres. Mike Pence. His legislature started the Article 5 movement to for the first time use the State Legislature process to draft Amendments to the Constitution.

Thomas: You may recognize what Trump did as pure spin but that doesn’t mean everyone did. Spin or otherwise, making it appear like the father of one of your competitors had something to do with the assassination of JFK is one of the ugliest untrue accusations I’ve ever heard. I’d love for you to enlighten me of another similar occurrence of something that bad. By the way, good job in avoiding the crux of the comment I made and you still have that nasty typo.

Mark Hunter: Depending on which news media pundits you listen to, the speech was great or terrible. Based on your comment, I have a feeling you don’t watch Fox News.

Ari, I never, "recognize what Trump did as pure spin," NEVER. I said he is wrong to say ZERO SUM world. If you are talking about a very short period of time or a trade between people those may be a zero sum event. But we have Einstein, Edison, Gates, etc. that have changed the game and made it bigger, not zero sum. We get out of the debt by growth. Otherwise we put that burden on our children. We also get out of debt by not creating debt and lucky these two work together. Growth means Jobs and one of the biggest cost of a welfare state is subsidizing those not working by welfare, prisons, police, fires in blighted areas, and riots. I just described the last 8 years. Maybe that is why the Democrats fell out of favor.

Ari, Who got hosed with trillions of dollars while the average blue collar worker was taking all the pain?Some people prospered greatly after the Great Recession . Many lost ground.Wall street has tripled while the main street economy has suffered through years of stagnation.

Mike Haluska: There is a song from the Broadway show "Firorello" that explains exactly how a "public servant" could somehow manage "to increase his net worth from zero when he took office to tens of millions a few years later on a $300,000/yr salary." The song is called "Little Tin Box," and according to the song, "it mounted up your Honor bit by bit." At least you can laugh about it. Here's the link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VsC8cKxSjfk

Douglas - thanks for the link, I enjoyed it. No matter how lousy a government agency performs, the bureaucracy always blames "lack of adequate funding". Thank God nobody with common sense is buying that load of crap except the beneficiaries and bureacrats.